The Japanese-Canadian Community in Pre-World War II Kitsilano Yoko Urata Japanese Language School Map BC Heritage Japanese Canadian credit: photo

There was a Japanese-Canadian community in Kitsilano between 1904 and 1942. In 1941 about 1,000 Japanese-Canadians were in Kitsilano, which made it the second-largest Japanese-Canadian community in the City of Vancouver. The community included Japanese-operated grocery stores, barber shops, bath houses, a tofu maker, a shoemaker, a Buddhist temple, and a Christian church. Frank Moritsugu, a journalist born in 1922, recalls his childhood in Kitsilano: he attended kindergarten at the Church of the Ascension Japanese Anglican Church, and then Henry Hudson School, followed by Kitsilano High School. In addition, he attended Japanese language school daily, played baseball, and practiced judo. The community grew as lumber and mill workers moved to Kitsilano. In the early 20th century there were several mills along False Creek, the largest being the Rat Portage Sawmill close to Kitsilano. Groups of men who had lived in the same prefecture in Japan worked together, and lived in boarding houses near the

Spring 2018 37 Kitsilano map credit: Nikkei National Museum mills. Prefectural associations (membership clubs) were very important to Issei;1 Japanese immigrants from the same prefecture (or village) spoke the same dialect, provided emotional support to one another, and helped newcomers find work. Frank Moritsugu’s father emigrated from Tottori Prefecture. Recruited by another man from Tottori, Frank’s father worked in the pulp mill on Vancouver Island before coming to Vancouver with his family. Then Frank’s father was hired as a gardener and moved to Kitsilano, where he was closer to his customers as well as to other families from Tottori. The Vancouver Japanese National School, founded in 1906, is the oldest in Canada; the Kitsilano Japanese Language School was founded in 1916. It functioned as a school and also as a community centre. People gathered at the school for meetings, to practice the language, and for entertainment. There was a judo hall, which Issei fathers built, in the basement. Every day after public school, children went to the Japanese language school for an hour and a half. In 1940 there were 240 students at the school. The education of Nisei2 was always an important matter for Japanese parents. Most of those who had immigrated were not fluent in English, so children needed Japanese language skills to communicate with their parents, and to help their parents communicate with the larger society. Moreover, parents also valued the ethics and manners taught in Japanese school. From the early 1900s to the early 1920s, children were taught the full Japanese curriculum, by qualified teachers from Japan. As more and more people decided to stay in Canada, curriculum became a major issue. Some parents pointed out that finishing Japanese school did not prepare children for Canadian high school: children lacked English skills. Because discrimination against the Japanese was prevalent in BC, parents also felt that children needed an education in Japanese language and ethics to feel a sense of pride in their heritage, and to overcome the hardships they would face. In 1919 the Vancouver Japanese National School principal announced a new policy: children should attend their local public school, before attending Japanese language school after public school hours. Along with the policy, the school also changed its name to the Vancouver Japanese Language School (as it is still known). In a few years, all the students of the Vancouver Japanese Language School were also attending public school. Other smaller Japanese schools followed suit. As language schools were not required to fulfill the standards set by the Japanese Ministry of Education (regarding teacher qualification), it became easier to found these schools: now children in small towns could also take

1 Japanese-born first generation immigrants. 2 The second generation born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrant parents.

Spring 2018 39 Japanese language lessons. In 1941 in British Columbia, there were 51 Japanese language schools, with a total of 3,966 students (up from seven Japanese language schools, and 506 students, in 1920). Children were Canadianized through public school education: they were taught principles of democracy and fair play. Nisei were told to assimilate to become Canadians; however, when they did, they were not accepted by the larger society. Discriminatory laws in pre-war BC deprived Nisei of civil rights and job opportunities. Even well-educated Nisei had difficulty finding jobs. Thomas Shoyama, who later became a prominent public servant, graduated from UBC with degrees in economics and commerce with honours. He could not, however, find a job. Shoyama worked at a saw mill and then became the editor of the Japanese-Canadian English newspaper The New Canadian in 1939. The newspaper targeted a Nisei readership, and disseminated knowledge of issues relating to their civil rights as Canadians. On December 7, 1941, as Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Canada declared war against Japan. The first Japanese-Canadians to be arrested were community leaders, Japanese language teachers, and martial arts specialists. All the Japanese language schools were closed. With the exercise of the War Measures Act, all persons of Japanese origin, regardless of citizenship, were treated as enemy aliens. In 1941 roughly 75% of Japanese-Canadians were Canadian citizens, born or naturalized in Canada. In 1942, about 21,000 people of Japanese origin living in the 100-mile coastal zone were uprooted from their homes. Frank Moritsugu’s father was sent to the Yellowhead work camp in early 1942. In March 1942, Frank’s mother and his six younger siblings were sent to Tashme detention camp to join his father, who had been moved there from the work camp. Frank was sent to Yard Creek work camp in April 1942 and worked there for 16 months, until August 1943. One of Frank’s brothers was also sent to Yard Creek. In August 1943 Frank moved to Kaslo, as he had been invited to work for The New Canadian. Frank worked there for seven months until around March 1944, when he moved to St. Thomas, Ontario — where the rest of his family had moved — and started working on a farm. The federal dispersal policy was gradually pushing Japanese-Canadians to resettle east of the Rockies. Frank volunteered for the Canadian Army in early 1945, when Japanese-Canadians became eligible to enlist. He was sent to India to train as a Japanese-language interpreter for the British counter-intelligence forces. The federal government continued its dispersal policy even after the war. In 1946, 4,000 people were deported to Japan. It was 1949 when BC enfranchised Japanese-Canadians, and they regained freedom of movement. Some people came back to BC; others started a new life outside BC. Some could not come

40 The Capilano Review back even if they wanted to: the federal government had sold their property without the owners’ consent. In 1977, a celebration was held for the 100th anniversary of the beginnings of Japanese-Canadian immigration to Canada. As Japanese-Canadians gathered on Powell Street, where Japantown used to be, many of those who had been scattered, and had remained silent, came out and met one another. Through the tireless efforts of the leaders of the Japanese-Canadian community, a redress agreement with the federal government was achieved in 1988. The redress, which included an apology and compensation for the Japanese-Canadians who suffered injustices in war time, reflected Canada’s overall commitment to human rights. Though today there is no Japantown in Vancouver, the Japanese-Canadian networks and cultural activities remain. In July 2016, Heritage BC launched the Japanese-Canadian Historic Places Recognition Project, and in April 2017 fifty- six historic sites were officially recognized by the province. Included in the sites were the Japanese Church of the Ascension and the Kitsilano Japanese Language School. Today, the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre offers a walking tour of Kitsilano. No Japanese buildings or artefacts from the pre-WWII era remain, but stories, photos, and the map of “Ki-chi-rano” (see page 38) recall the days of the vibrant Japanese community that once lived there. Church of the Ascension photo credit: BC Heritage Japanese Canadian Map BC Heritage Japanese Canadian credit: photo of the Ascension Church